Nightmare (Series)/Hail to the King
Hail to the King Warning: This songfic contains violent, graphic lyrics. Only proceed if you are not squeamish or easily offended. Rated extreme. ---- This couldn't be happening- MapleClan were the weak ones. Yet the fear in Lilypetal's eyes was very real, and I couldn't deny that my heart began to beat faster, and a chill went down my spine, as I anticipated combat sometime very soon. "Look," she said to me softly, yet with desperation in her voice, "I can't send Cloudmist out here to help Daisypaw, she's completely overwhelmed. There is so much blood..." she trailed off. Then with a quick, jerky gesture, she signaled for me to follow her back to camp. I didn't move from Daisypaw's side. "Come on," she urged, "I think MapleClan got new recruits from somewhere, because we are completely overwhelmed." She paused. I glared back defiantly. She took a deep breath, and then spoke again. "Please, Cinderpaw. It's better to do good for the whole Clan, than for one cat. Look, we can just give her some wet moss and then go." With every sentence that Lilypetal spoke, a burning feeling started to build in my stomach - a feeling that I was very familiar with - anger. Bile and hatred spilled out of me, in the form of words. "Like I give a rat tail what happens to our stupid Clan. I just want Daisypaw to be okay." Lilypetal looked me right in the eyes. Surprisingly, I was intimidated, despite her being overall such a sweet, soft-spoken, and unthreatening she-cat. "You might not realize it now, but that's not true. You do have motivation to work for the common good, more than you think. Now let's go." And that was when I gave in, padding behind her, until my pace increased to a desperate run. Watch your tongue or have it cut from your head Save your life by keeping whispers unsaid I could hear the yowls and clashing of teeth and claws before we even got onto the path to the entrance. The mental image of Daisypaw's limp body lying among the red flower petals kept flashing through my consciousness. It made my blood boil, and fueled my rage. If I had to cut down MapleClan warriors before Daisypaw could get care, then so be it. Lilypetal's feet scuffed up dirt as we finally reached the path. The sounds of the screeches of anger and fear had increased greatly, and for the first time, my heart began to beat slightly faster with fear. Stupid. There was nothing to be afraid of. The thorny entrance loomed before us. Lilypetal halted for a moment, and took a deep breath, as did I. Then she went into the meleé. As for me, I didn't right away. I peered through the thorns to see blood spattering on the ground, and Leafpaw cowering beneath a larger, snarling warrior. I watched as he raised his paw, and brought it down hard on her head with a sickening whack. Now unable to move, she slumped to the earth, sticky crimson spilling from her mouth. The large black warrior gloated to himself, and went in for the final strike, unaware that my shadowy form was creeping through the bushes to the space right behind him. Should I do this? After all, Leafpaw was the one to rat me out to Goldenflower, and get me beaten by both her and Hollyfoot. But... I remembered she also made a funny joke about Pebblepaw being mentally handicapped the other day. And she wasn't that bad, I supposed. She didn't deserve to be knocked down by some idiotic brute. Right before his teeth made connection with the unconscious Leafpaw, I went in for the attack. Children roam the streets now orphans of war Bodies hanging in the streets to adore The stocky black warrior's facial expression went from satisfied to surprised, as I angrily hissed at him, delivering blow after blow onto his face. Just from his pure shock, he was already losing by a lot. And I hadn't even taken my first fight training session. But being fairly strong, even after his face was covered with cuts, he regained his position and dignity by bending his head slightly, before ramming me in the chest. My legs wobbled, on the verge of collapse, as my vision went blurry. During this time of weakness, he hooked his teeth on my ear, and pulled back. The blood felt warm on my face. I felt so very alive. Even as my body ached, energy coursed through my veins. With pride, I brought myself back up to standing and went back to the fight. My biggest advantages were my speed and wit, so I had to find a way to utilize those qualities. With a hiss, I lunged for his paws. Despite not being very fast, the large black tom managed to dodge. However, that was exactly what I wanted him to do. As he sidestepped, I reacted quickly, and hit his front legs spot on. Viciously, I sunk my teeth into one of them. He yowled in pain and frustration, as he collapsed to the blood-soaked earth. And in this weak moment for him, I let my instincts win over, and clamped my teeth over his throat and squeezed tight. The warm liquid washed over my tongue, as my mind began to clock out as his form went limp in my jaws. I had just killed a cat. Royal flames with carve a path in chaos Bringing daylight to the night I took a few deep breaths, trying to comprehend my actions. My mind just slipped... and it just happened. But I was very concsious throughout all of it. I licked the blood off of my lips, a ringing in my ears, and an itch in my paws. I stepped over the body of the fallen warrior, and began to slink away, alert just in case I was attacked. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the incredulous gaze of Leafpaw, resting on me. I stopped, and turned around for a moment. She was still bleeding slightly, but luckily for her she seemed to have some of her strength back. Wobbling, she rose to her feet. "T-thank you?" she mewed softly to me. I shrugged. "You're welcome." And at a faster speed, I crept away. Death is riding in the town with armour They've come to take all your rights My recent victory going to my head, I decided to take the offensive. I scanned the clearing, the furry forms of the PineClan and MapleClan warriors darting and clashing with each other. I heard pawsteps pattering on my right side. I whipped my head to the side, my neck hairs bristling, prepared to fight. But instead of a formidable opponent, I was faced with a small tortoiseshell she-cat. She appeared dangerous at first, but then I noticed a major problem for her right away. She didn't have a tail. While she came at me with ferocity and confidence, she was clumsy, unbalanced. While I was able to use my tail to guide myself, she blundered around me, trying to get a scratch in. I almost felt bad for her. Soon, I had her pinned down, and I was planning to injure her slightly just so she would surrender. But as she was wriggling beneath me, I caught a glance of a vibrant orangey red pelt. It was Poppypelt, crouching behind a bush, inspecting the clearing carefully. Quickly, Silverflame from MapleClan bounded behind the bush, and leaned in. Their ears were perked, as they exchanged whispers. I almost forgot about the small she-cat that I had trapped, until she raked her claws across my face. I jumped back in surprise. "What, you asleep?" she jeered. I moved very fast in her direction, and she jumped back in fear. Yeah, that's what I thought, you little tail-less freak. Before she could bounce back, I managed to swipe my claws across the right side of her face, opening three new gash wounds on her cheek. She growled in frustration as blood began to spill from the cuts and drip through her fur and onto the dusty earth. I raised my paw, prepared to give her another blow, as well as ready to dodge any offensive attack she would try. But instead, she ducked her head, signifying surrender. Our fight ended as she stumbled away, casting hateful glares in my general vicinity. I directed my attention back to the bush where Poppypelt and Silverflame had been hiding away. They were no longer there. All of a sudden, a frightened wail sounded from behind me. I recognized it as the high-pitched voice of Lilypetal. "Pinestar!" I turned around, to see our leader at the far end of the camp clearing. His rust-brown pelt was sticky with blood, as he choked and spasmed on the ground. Cloudmist looked up from treating Leafpaw, and dashed over to his side, sticky cobwebs cupped in her paw. Frantically, she began to press as many of the webs as possible on the lacerations surrounding his throat and stomach. It was a pathetic sight to see, as the sticky blood just washed over it, flowing just as swiftly as before. "I-I'm sorry," Cloudmist hiccupped, finally dropping her cobwebs and herb supply, as she gave up hope. Steady murmurs echoed throughout the clearing. The fighting seemed to have been put on pause. Then, Pinestar went limp. Lilypetal's eyes went glassy as well. "He-he's dead. It was that silver tom... but he left the clearing." I kept expecting Pinestar to once again rise back up, coughing and lacking energy, but alive. Just on his next life, like nothing had happened. But he remained completely lifeless. I should've discerned that Pinestar was on his last life. He was an old cat- apparently he was leader when my mother was a kit. Or so I was told. All at once, MapleClan began to retreat. Most of the Clan watched in shock as they left us, with our leader's inert dead body bleeding into the dirt. But I knew that they had done what they meant to do, and there was no use for them to stay any longer. Poppypelt looked on, feigning a look of sadness. That fake foxheart. But apparently everyone else was falling for the charade- I saw Gingerear approach her and put a comforting tail on her shoulder. I had to say what I knew. But what did I owe to this awful Clan? Crowfood. I didn't need to involve myself in anymore drama and complex situations, I just didn't care anymore. Yes, I would keep this a secret. Hail to the king Hail to the one But then I remembered one of the more pressing matters on my mind. Daisypaw. As the entirety of the Clan recovered, I dashed over to Cloudmist's side. She was done healing Leafpaw, and was currently tending to Flamestrike, who had a nasty gash on his side. In the background, Specklefoot and Nightstem had taken on the job of cleaning up the mess that Pinestar had left, and carrying the body elsewhere. Nightstem was a young black tom, whose mood changed like the weather. Meanwhile, Cloudmist was sopping up the blood from Flamestrike's pelt with wet moss, and placing cobwebs on the wound. I went to her hurriedly. "Cloudmist," I panted, "You have to help. Daisypaw is out in the forest, injured. She fell out of the red blossom tree and needs help." A shadow fell across her gaze, and her ears twitched. "Cinderpaw, I'm sorry... I can't afford to do that at the moment. There are just too many injuries." I glared at her, hoping to intimidate her. But she met my stare, not budging. "Y-you have to. Please?" I sounded like a whining kit, but that was understandable considering the inside of me was ravaged with fear. Cloudmist leaned in close. "Look. I can't help Daisypaw directly, but you can. You are smart, Cinderpaw. Take her some moss, and some cobwebs just in case she is scratched up. You might have to snap dislocated limbs back in place, and you can do that by feeling your own joints and pushing Daisypaw's back into the right way. I believe you can do this." "You are smart, Cinderpaw." "I believe you can do this." Things that had never been said to me before with such sincerity. Cloudmist... did she believe in me? I nodded to her, took a deep breath, and dashed back out into the forest. - I don't think I had ever run so fast in my life. The wind raced through my pelt, and the ground scraped up my pads, but I didn't care. I began to pant and heave, but I kept going at a consistent pace. Finally, I could smell the blossoms in the air, and I rushed back into the clearing to see Daisypaw's broken form at the foot of the tree. I came to her side. "Daisypaw, I'm here, and I'm going to help you." She coughed, and turned her head slightly, and moaned. "It hurts all over..." "I know," I said. I ran my paw across her stomach, and I felt something that made my stomach turn. One of her ribs was broken, and it was poking through the skin. Blood was streaming from the wound. Hastily, I placed cobwebs on it, my paws slipping. Daisypaw was struggling for breath. Great StarClan, who was I kidding. Her internal organs were probably damaged beyond repair. "Cinderpaw, don't let me die," she pleaded, "I don't want to die. Please." Hot, sticky tears began to gush from her eyes. "I'm sorry," I mewed back, my voice quivering. "I don't want to lie to you..." "Please!" she wailed. It was an ugly wailing. I trembled. "Don't let this happen to me... There are so many things that I want to do, I can't take this!" I froze like a deer in headlights. And then... I began to cry too. "I can't help you," I whispered hoarsely, tears dripping down my cheeks. What hurt is the look of disappointment and fear she gave me, as I clumsily tried to heal her fatal wounds. She gazed at me, eyes squinted shut, tears trickling out of them. As if to say how could you. You loved me. And you can't even save me. She said no more. I placed my tail on her shoulder, and began to stroke her softly with my paw, trying to hide my sniffling, until her eyes went glassy and blank. I didn't cry anymore. The numbness just came over me. I could barely even feel the dirt between my claws as I dug her grave. I wasn't going to bring her back. It's not like they would care anyways, judging by the way Cloudmist had just left me to bungle up her healing and let her die. I felt a pang in my heart as I pushed her body into the hole. It landed all sprawled out. I straightened it, and closed her eyes, so it almost looked like she was sleeping. Then I began to push the dirt back into the hole. I went into the bushes, and pulled out a daisy with my teeth. I replanted it above her grave. Hopefully it would grow and become beautiful like her. "Goodbye," I murmured. Kneel to the crown Stand in the sun Hail to the king Every pawstep back to camp was painful. Usually, I was very aware of the sights and smells and sounds around me. I noticed every sun-soaked rock, dangling leaf, or lazy butterfly. Yet now, my surroundings were just a blur. A blur that didn't matter. Because my mind was fixed on one thing- the fact that as soon as I made a connection with a cat other than myself, it was brutally ripped away. And now Daisypaw was just a corpse beneath the ground, covered in dirt. She would never laugh again. She would never cry again or share a meal again or enjoy her own life. And who was I kidding. It was all my fault. As much as I would love to blame Lilypetal or MapleClan for this, I knew that I was the one that had a terrible reaction time. I could have grabbed her, before her claws slipped off of the branch. There was a huge chance that I could have saved her. But instead I just stood there, claws digging into the branch, watching as the she-cat that I had began to love fell to her death. And then was the fact that her wounds were severe, and I was probably too stupid to deal with anything beyond a simple scratch, so she died. And not peacefully either- she died incomplete. She died knowing that she hadn't experienced many of the great joys of life. The sunlight shocked me as I stepped into the camp clearing- there was no canopy of trees blocking the golden rays. It felt nice. Or it would, if I hadn't sunk into a pit of despair. Blood is spilt while holding keys to the throne Born again but it's too late to atone I looked up, and noticed Hollyfoot. He was sitting on the Highboulder, surveying the Clan, as if it were... his. But it was. Pinestar was dead- Hollyfoot would have to become the next Pinestar. The feeling of misery deepened. Just when I thought that he had caught me staring, a voice called out from behind me. "Cinderpaw! You're back!" It was Cloudmist- her voice was full of relief. What, was she expecting me to somehow hurt myself? Did she think I was an idiot? I thought she said I was intelligent. Well, I suppose there could be MapleClan warriors lurking around. Maybe there was a chance of me getting an injury. "Cinderpaw... where's Daisypaw? Is she still out in the forest? Do you need help bringing her back?" I turned to her, unblinkingly meeting her gaze. "You know just as well as I do her current state." "I-I'm not sure what you mean," she responded. I rolled my eyes. "Don't play dumb. It's too late... I couldn't save her." I then looked down, salty tears once again spilling down my face. Embarrassed, I attempted to wipe them off with my paw. Cloudmist came to my side, resting her tail on my shoulder, her pelt brushing against mine. "Hey, Cinderpaw, it's okay to cry." I lashed my tail angrily. "D-don't be condescending," I sniffled. "Look. You can help me tend to the cats now, if that would make you feel better. I think you know the herbs, Cinderpaw. You could be helpful." I was about to tell her that it wasn't my job, and she needed to screw off. Maybe it was her responsible for Daisypaw's demise anyways. But then Lilypetal's words echoed through my mind - You do have motivation to work for the common good, more than you think. And perhaps that was all true. No mercy from the edge of the blade Dare escape and learn the price to be paid I had always thought that MapleClan cats were known as mediocre fighters. Compared to us, and the other even more powerful Clan BirchClan, they were nothing. But then again... I suppose if they really wanted to they could at least leave some nasty scratches and bites. Cloudmist gave me access to her medicine den, and was smart enough not to crack a joke about sneaking into it and messing it up when I was in my emotional state. But at my disposal was wet moss, cobwebs, marigold, and goldenrod. Enough to treat a good amount of cats. I got many looks of surprise as I went around the clearing, grudgingly asking each cat if they had any cuts or gashes. MapleClan had clearly shown no restraint- I treated more than a few serious scratches, only using the goldenrod and marigold for the more severe injuries. Quickly, I went up to Frostkit, to check if he was okay. He was still in the medicine den, just in case, and because he was getting too big for the nursery, even if he was tiny compared to me or Pebblepaw. Speaking of... I saw Pebblepaw waiting impatiently with a short but deep-seeming gash on his shoulder. "Hey Frostkit, how are you holding up?" I asked him softly. He stood up in his temporary nest, shaking the moss from his fur. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me so much and baby me, you know." My emotions bubbled over. "I'm just showing that I care!" I snapped. "Sorry," I added guiltily. Frostkit smiled. "It's okay... you had better go treat Pebblepaw. He looks like he is about to have a fit." I forced myself to crack a smile. "Yeah. I think I'd rather leave him for Cloudmist." "You know everyone thinks that you are a medicine cat at heart now?" Froskit mentioned. I just shrugged. "I don't give a mouse tail what anyone else thinks about me. They can't mind their own business no matter what I decide to do." I gave Frostkit a rushed goodbye, and exited the medicine den. He returned it, his eyes glowing bright with the joy of my visit and the excitement of the battle. I wondered what it was like to be like that. Let the water flow with shades of red now Arrows black out all the light Now most of the blood and evidence of the battle were cleaned up, apart from a few red splotches here and there. I made note of them, gazing at them in fascination, as well as regret for the blows that the Clan took- especially the one that replaced Pinestar with Hollyfoot. I didn't want to treat cats anymore.. I just felt lost. Awkward. Alone in the clearing, with my thoughts. Daisypaw. A sharp call broke the quiet. "Clan meeting! Everyone under the Highboulder!" It was Hollyfoot calling the clan meeting... he was the leader now. Sure, he was violent towards me, but would that become an issue when he was trying to lead the Clan? No one could be certain. But I definitely had a feeling of apprehension and discomfort twisting in my stomach and chest. I'm not sure which strings Hollyfoot pulled to end up as the deputy, but I didn't trust it. "Cats of PineClan, this has been a difficult evening, but one that has proved our strength." Great. He was already speaking with a leader superiority complex. "Unfortunately, we have lost our leader. Pinestar's vigil will be held tonight, where everyone can pay respects. I will be taking over as leader- in the warrior code it states that the leader can sometimes use his own judgement even if it doesn't necessarily adhere to the code. So I will be using that judgement to keep my name as Hollystar, as opposed to changing it to Pinestar." Yeah, Hollyfoot was really trying to sound smart. There was a shocked gasp in reaction to the announcement that he wouldn't take on the "Pine" part of the leader's name. It was the tradition in each Clan for the leader to not only take on "star" as the last part of their name, but the beginning of the Clan name as the beginning of their own name (such as Birchstar, Maplestar, and Pinestar). Leaders keeping the first part of their name was unheard of. But honestly? I didn't care. I suspected that Hollyfoot was just egotistical. But with him as leader, there were bigger things to worry about, in my opinion. Death is riding in the town with armour They've come to grant you your rights Hail to the king Hail to the one "Now I must choose a new deputy, and I figure this should be done sooner rather than later. Our Clan needs to be strong." Great. I wondered who this would be. "I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new Clan deputy is Poppypelt." Poppypelt was fairly pretty, and not unpopular, so she got a decent amount of cheers and congratulations. She smiled as she came to stand by the Highboulder. I remembered the way that she had sneakily conversed with Silverflame during the battle. Wasn't it her that had given Silverflame the signal to murder Pinestar? I noticed that Goldenleaf looked a bit irritated; I assumed that she thought that Hollyfoot was going to select her as deputy because of the not-so-subtle flirting that they had been doing lately. I guess my mother wasn't so lucky now. Good. "I will travel down the starry stream tonight, and I will come back as Hollystar." Kneel to the crown Stand in the sun Hail to the king Hollyfoot nodded his head, as an indication that the meeting was dismissed. It was strange how he went from this violent, abusive idiot and a traitor to a fakely intelligent and serious leader. I doubt this more subdued side of him was his real side- no, the way he had beat me in the nursery den was what he was really like. But who would believe me if I said that he was a traitor now? Yeah, there was backlash to him elected as deputy, but I think I was even less popular than him. I was known as the weird kit causing trouble and sneaking around and out of camp, the disorganized and moody apprentice, contrary and uncooperative. And I found that others prefer a rude comformist than a nice outcast. And hadn't I sworn off caring about this Clan? All I ever got from it was suffering and unpleasantness. No, if I didn't tell anyone, it could possibly just make things worse than they already were in this Clan. StarClan knows we need that. And plus, my curiosity prevailed over my cynicism. As I curled up in my new nest in the apprentice den that night, I thought. I thought until it was almost dawn, as my thoughts were racing and I couldn't slow them down. I knew that it was Hollyfoot and Poppypelt who had directed Silverflame to murder Pinestar. But why? Well, the obvious answer was that they wanted power. And they got it. So now I supposed it was a question of whether or not the power would satisfy them or corrupt them further. Or was it more complicated than that? And where did Silverflame fit in? What did he get out of this whole scheme? Did he just want to help out Hollyfoot and Poppypelt for kicks? I doubted that. The thoughts began piling on each other, developing, going into different directions like it was a spiderweb of ideas. Eventually, tiredness took over my mind, and lulled me to a deep sleep. There's a taste of fear When the henchmen call I woke up with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach and thoughts of Daisypaw. I know that a lot of the time when something bad happens, it's terrible the first day. But when you go to sleep and wake up in the morning and remember it, that's when it's even worse. You just wake up, and feel this weight on your chest. And that was what was happening to me right now. It felt like rocks were piled on top of me. As I got out of my nest, Pebblepaw cupped a pawful of the dust outside the den, and threw it at me, snickering, Mistpaw laughing with him. I used to be neutral about Mistpaw, but since the incident with Frostkit, my opinion of him has changed. My opinion being that he's a piece of fox dung. I tried to quickly scrape the dirt out of my nest as best I could but in the end I was unsuccessful. Now I would have to go get new moss later. "Thanks a lot, jerk," I muttered to Pebblepaw, before scooping some of the same dust with my paw and throwing it against his flank. He whipped around, and glared at me with his gold eyes. I gave him a challenging look, expecting the worst from him, but surprisingly he just turned around and kept on walking to the fresh kill pile with Mistpaw. Good. I was done being scared of his bullying and empty threats. I ate my fresh kill like normal, cleaned up like normal, and waited near the camp entrance for Snowblossom. I swallowed, fearing the worst. Snowblossom would freak out if I stepped a little bit out of line, and I doubt she would appreciate hearing some sort of conspiracy theory. But I had promised myself that I was going to confide in her- and that is what I'd do. I noticed that Hollystar was once again sitting on the Highboulder, his amber eyes scanning all over the clearing. It made me feel slightly uneasy. And I sort of knew why. In my eyes, he was a corrupt and evil king, not the compassionate leader that the Clan needed. Soon enough, I saw a flash of white from the warriors' den. Snowblossom snatched up a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, and quickly ate it, before bounding over to me. "What are we doing today?" I grumbled. "I think we are going to do some hunting and maybe a little bit of battle training," she said stiffly, "You're lucky that you came out of the battle the way you did, especially with no training. Honestly, I'm impressed. So I only expect the best from you." "Okay." That's when we both started into the forest, our pads crunching against the fallen leaves. I swallowed, and took the opportunity. "Hey, Snowblossom, am I allowed to tell you something that I think is important?" I hoped I sounded polite. She had given me this huge lecture on manners the other day, and I knew she was willing to do it again, which is something I actively avoided. She glared at me. "What is it? Did you do something troublesome?" I shook my head. Yeah, her mind goes to me making trouble first. Figures. "It's just... I have solid evidence that Hollystar and Poppypelt are planning with a MapleClan warrior. And then they-" I was cut off before I could fill in the details of what I knew. Snowblossom held her tail tip over my mouth. "Look, Cinderpaw, I know that you don't like Hollystar, and you probably don't like Poppypelt either- I guess you don't seem to like anyone in this Clan - but that doesn't mean you have to make up rumors about them like this. You have so much potential, but I don't appreciate your behavior, Cinderpaw. It's just not up to par." "But I'm not making it up, I can give you details-" "I don't want to hear it. Now we're going to hunt before meeting up with the other apprentices. That or no fresh kill tonight for you." Iron fist to tame the land Iron fist to claim it all Without Daisypaw around, training sessions and patrols seemed dull and lifeless. Well, that's not necessarily true. Pebblepaw spent the majority of the time trying to do imitations of every cat in the Clan, and failed miserably, as he was stupid as ever. Mistpaw just laughed. He stupidly began imitating Lilypetal's high and delicate voice while Mistpaw snorted. Frostkit had become Frostpaw too, and could be with us. But instead of having fun with him, I just got distracted by Pebblepaw and Mistpaw being obnoxious, and I spent a lot of time worrying about him. So, to rephrase, there was barely anything fun or pleasant in the training sessions and patrols. Other than occasionally getting to knock Pebblepaw to the ground like the stupid klutz that he was during battle training. I followed behind the border marking patrol, surveying my surroundings. I got a whiff of red flower petals, and felt a pang of longing and sadness. Suddenly I really didn't want to be on dawn patrol anymore. I checked to see where all the other cats were- all of them were in front of me, Flamestrike closest to me. I allowed myself to fall back a little, until I was completely out of sight, and then I quickly picked my way towards the MapleClan border. Yep. My sneaking skills were still superb. I peeked at the border through the bushes, and when it appeared that I was alone, I strolled out of the undergrowth. I knew how contrary I was. If I'm told I'm not supposed to do something, I will do it, or vice versa. So I should have known better to come to the border, because I was about to cross it. Really, what harm would it do? I could just walk over it, sniff around a little bit, and cross back over. Sure, they would smell my scent there, but I think they could tell that it is faint enough to be just one harmless cat. But would they interpret it as harmless? For all they knew, my scent could indicate that there was a spy. After all, we had just had a battle. Oh well. Too late. I had no impulse control anyways. Inhaling deeply, I scampered across and into the bushes, claws digging into the dirt. Now the scent was overwhelmingly MapleClan. It was honestly making me slightly dizzy. Just as I decided that it wasn't really worth it, and to cross back to the PineClan side of the border, voices echoed loudly behind me. "Guys! I think I smell PineClan," a sharp she-cat voice called out. "Oh, shut up, your nose doesn't work properly. I doubt they would dare come over here after we killed their leader," a second voice said. This one was a tom. My fur bristled with anger. Then I heard a third she-cat. "Wait- I think I see something!" I jumped up about a tail-length into the air in surpise as a tortoiseshell she-cat pointed me out to the rest of her patrol. I know that the main three panic responses are fight, flight, or freeze. Unfortunately, I naturally froze up, and just stood there in fear as they dashed towards me. Just as soon as I came to my senses and started to turn away, I was surrounded. "What should we do with this, Flowerstream?" the first ginger she-cat asked the tortoiseshell. That was when it clicked that I had met the tortoiseshell before- she was the she-cat with no tail that I had fought against and won. I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that I could still beat her even if I was disadvantaged right now. Flowerstream hissed. "I say we don't let him get off so easy. PineClan need to learn to keep to their own territory." "So what, we just beat him up?" the tom questioned. Flowerstream shook her head. "No, Skyblaze. That's uncreative. I say that we take this tresspasser back to our camp, and we can see what information we can get out of him. I stood up straight, trying to put on an aura of confidence. "I don't have to tell you anything." The MapleClan cats just looked at each other. Then the tom, Skyblaze, nodded. "I say that we take him back to our camp." Hail to the king Hail to the one Out of the three Clans (PineClan, BirchClan, and MapleClan), MapleClan was always known as the weak Clan, the one that was easy to take advantage of. My intellect was failing me here, because I couldn't see why that was. Judging from what I saw in the camp, it was much more organized, cleaner... and less drama. Well, that's not all it took to make a Clan great. You needed a good leader, a good deputy, good training for the apprentices. I guessed that MapleClan cats just weren't very good at fighting or training. I don't think it was infighting- if something was going to be the downfall of PineClan, that's what it would be. I was taken to the camp by the three warriors. Soon I learned the name of the other ginger she-cat- Appletail. She had ushered me into camp and into a rock crevice with moss, where it was somewhat secluded, but I was still plainly visible. Appletail seemed nicer than Flowerstream at least. The cerulean blue sky slowly faded into pinks and oranges, with splotchy clouds to compliment the colors, until it was finally dark blue. No one had tried to ask me any sort of questions yet- I yawned. I assumed they wanted to keep me for longer so they could send PineClan a message. And the strange thing was, I wasn't all that worried. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but nothing that I couldn't handle. I guess when it came down to it, I didn't care all that much. Night finally fell. Stars twinkled overhead, casting cold light onto the clearing of the MapleClan camp. They had one unnamed warrior guarding the entrance to the camp. I had been instructed not to move, but my legs were getting sore. If I wanted to move, now was my chance, while everyone else was still asleep, or at least I thought they were. Tentatively, I stood up and padded out of my rock crevice. The floor was soft dirt, so it was easy for me to not make a sound. The guard at the camp entrance didn't turn around. I snuck up by the leaders den, next to a tree which I assumed they used for Clan meetings. Behind the tree and the den, were some more boulders scattered about. That's when I heard a voice that sounded like it was coming from the boulders. Once again, I checked to make sure the guard wasn't paying attention, and then slipped behind the tree and picked my way through the boulders. That guard must be really tired or something. Then I was able to distinguish two voices as I came closer to one particular rock. It was Silverflame, interrogating another tom cat. It took me more than it should to identify the other cat. It was Birchheart. My father. My ears perked up to listen to the conversation. "Look, I'm not an expert on these things," Birchheart was saying, "My father may have been a rogue, but my mother wasn't. I was raised a Clan cat." "Yes, but have you heard anything from your mother... Cloudstream was her name right? It's a very real possibility that she could have passed knowledge down to you," Silverflame replied, "I want to know what I'm dealing with and how to find them." So Birchheart was giving a MapleClan warrior information on rogues, as a rogue was his father. In return for what? Was Birchheart somehow stupid enough to get himself captured? Or was he receiving something in return.Possibilities fleeted through my mind. Had Birchheart ever met up with his father? No, that didn't seem in character. Birchheart was the type to strictly adhere to the rules. "All right... I'll tell you what I know," he began, "From what I've gathered, the rogues are to the north of us. They live in a Twolegplace, except in the stories I've heard, it's a small Twolegplace. If you follow the stream, walking against the current, you should eventually arrive on the outskirts of this particular Twolegplace." There was a pause, before Silverflame spoke again. "Much appreciated, Birchheart. I'll allow you a piece of fresh-kill at sunrise... you should know by now that it always pays off to follow instructions." Clever. So after my father was exiled, instead of hunting like a warrior, he had to turn to almost begging for prey like a pitiful kit, even though prey wasn't hard to come around during newleaf. That was pretty weak. But then I remembered the wistfulness in his voice- and the guilt hit me. Rarely were my emotions deep, other than my anger and frustration and possibly sadness. But now I was ashamed of who I was- I guess I was always unhappy with myself, but that was something I repressed by thinking so negatively of everyone else. Birchheart was just doing his job as the Clan deputy. He didn't deserve his son betraying him to a few corrupted warriors, getting him exiled just because of mixed blood. That didn't even matter, did it? It was all my fault. Kneel to the crown Stand in the sun Hail to the king As the sun rose and the birds began to chirp, I felt the familiar knot of dread in my stomach. MapleClan had me hostage, and they had not questioned me yet- I figured that was going to happen today, and I was not looking forward to it. Ridiculous. These consequences were too severe for an apprentice wandering across the border. And in the end, it came down to the fact that I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Overall, I had two plausible options. Remain captured in MapleClan, neglected and mistreated and alone. Go back to PineClan, face the painful Clan life for even longer, and brave the tyranny of Hollystar, our new king.